


5 Reasons Why Jaime Will Be the Greatest Hero of His Generation

by dytabytes



Category: Blue Beetle (Comic), DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: 5 Things, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-21
Updated: 2010-05-21
Packaged: 2017-10-09 15:36:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/88943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dytabytes/pseuds/dytabytes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>See title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	5 Reasons Why Jaime Will Be the Greatest Hero of His Generation

**1\. His predecessors are dead.**

At some level, every legacy hero strives to become the hero whose boots they've filled. Kid Flash wants to be _the_ Flash, Aqualad wants to be Aquaman, Speedy wants to be Green Arrow. It's a simple fact.

The thing is, while these heroes are good at what they do, they aren't without their imperfections. The Flash spends a little too much time with the ladies, Aquaman can be downright condescending when he's not watching himself and Green Arrow... well, he's got a list of faults longer than his bow. So while they idolize their mentors, at some level, there is an acceptance of their heroes' humanity and there is a silent understanding that flaws are inevitable. Thus, every new generation of legacy heroes knows to accept their own imperfections and move on.

Jaime, though, has never met Dan Garret, the original Blue Beetle. He never even met Ted Kord. All he knows about the men whose boots he's filling is that they were brave, they were strong, they were smart, and, above all else, they gave their lives for the cause that they believed in. In death, the men who came before Jaime are super human and he will never be able to come close to their greatness... but he will never stop striving to do so.

**2\. His parents are not.**

There's always a flicker of uncertainty when a hero takes up the cape or the cowl in response to the death of a loved one.

"Would they be proud of me?", they think, as villains crowd around them and hope is fading.

"Is this what they'd want me to do?", is their question as they fight the evils of the world.

"What if they're looking down from heaven with disgust?", is what echoes through their minds as their fists impact on flesh.

It doesn't seem like much, but the worry hides in the depths of the mind, eating away at love and laughter and life. It's what keeps heroes from happiness.

For all that his mother nags and his father worries, Jaime knows that both of his parents they approve of what he's doing and that they support him no matter what happens. He never has to doubt that, and this is what anchors him in all his times of trouble.

**3\. He has a little sister.**

Sometimes heroes fail. Most of the time, though, they manage to succeed and, over time, successes tend to outnumber failures. As this happens, heroes tend to bite off more than they can chew. They get swelled heads and think too much of their abilities and their importance.

Sometimes this ego boost is harmless. Sometimes, though, it strains relationships and when heroes get too full of themselves, sometimes it leads to giant satellites programmed to destroy earth's heroes.

It is in these last two cases where a swelled head is somewhat of a negative trait.

Unlike most of his fellows, Jaime never has to worry about such a thing happening to him. After all, he has Milagro.

"Why do I gotta listen to him? Just because he's got a stupid robot in his back doesn't mean he's any cooler!"

"Milagro!"

Yep. Never has to worry about an overinflated ego. It's why Milagro's presence is such a good thing.

"It's true! He's still just dorky Jaime!"

Most of the time.

**4\. He knows how to ask for help.**

While heroes can and do team up, there's a streak of independence that's common in the community. Heroes never stop to ask for help. Whether they're foiling a bank robbery or stopping an asteroid from hitting the Earth, the first instinct of a hero is "I'm going to go fix that". "Gee, maybe I should get some back up in case I go down," is the second thought at best, if it passes through the mind at all.

This is not so in Jaime's case.

Jaime is quite aware that he has no idea what he's doing. He knows his weaknesses and he's not afraid to cover them. It's obvious to him that he doesn't know half of the Scarab's capabilities, that he isn't capable of coming up with brilliant tactics at the drop of a hat, that scanning the news feeds 24/7 could and would fry his brain. He knows that he just can't do this all on his own and it's natural as breathing to ask for help.

It's this that makes him a great leader, rather than a boss.

**5\. He didn't want to do this job.**

But he does it anyway.


End file.
